Water
by El loopy
Summary: In his pursuit of the Avatar, Zuko comes across the two ill companions. Set as a missing scene in 'The Blue Spirit'. Oneshot. Zutara.


**A/N Not a particularly brilliant piece of writing but I had to get it out of my head. I wrote this about the end of the first 'book' where I still thought that these two would end up together later on. Set as a missing scene in 'The Blue Spirit'.  
**

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Water

Zuko froze behind the mask as one of the sleeping bodies moved.

"Momo?" The girl skimmed her half-open eyes sluggishly around the room before closing them again with a slight groan. "Aang, where are you?"

'_Yes Avatar,'_ Zuko thought, _'Where are you?'_

From the shadows he observed the giant flying Bison curled up with the two sleeping forms wrapped in their coats. The cavernous room was otherwise empty save the basic beginnings of a campfire. The Bison watched him with close scrutiny. Zuko was sure that the only reason he hadn't been attacked yet was because of the girl and her brother resting against his side.

A cracked delirious voice broke out from the latter.

"Water…"

The girl struggled to look at him, her breathing shallow. "Momo will be back with some soon."

As he watched, Zuko saw the flying lemur return clasping a teapot. It presented its find to the girl who in an ever despairing voice told it. "Water Momo. _Water._"

The creature twitched its ears, added the kettle to an increasing pile of odds and ends, and vacated again.

Then all was still.

Slowly Zuko moved. When there was no response to this from the room he stepped into the light. The Bison followed with his eyes as Zuko strode to the opening in the window, removed his mask so he could see better, and gazed out over the landscape.

"His companions are sick," he spoke aloud, unsure whether he was talking to the Bison or not. "So he would have gone up there," his eyes focused on the spot, "for a cure." A light frown sketched itself between his eyes as he focused in on the cliff face a very far distance away. One tiny yellow speck was 'falling' off the cliff followed by a multiple of reds. They disappeared into the trees. Zuko's eyes widened.

"The Avatar!" He spun on his heel and thrust the mask back on his face. The Bison rumbled and made as though to move but the fire prince was already through the exit.

"Aang?" the plaintive voice murmured. "Aang…is that you?"

Zuko hesitated at the top of the stairs – his hands resting on the rail. Slowly he turned his head to look at the girl who had spoken. Katara's face was creased in worry and fever, her eyes shut tight.

"Water…" she whispered pleadingly. "Momo, please…"

The frown dropped into a saddened look until he hung his head and sighed in surrender. The strings of the mask slipped undone as he placed it to one side and met the watchful – almost guilt inducing – eyes of the Bison.

"Look – I'm going all right," he told it in exasperation and walking slowly over to the campsite scooped up the previously discarded teapot. Aappa gave a snort of warning and Zuko backed out of the room.

A few moments later he returned with the teapot brimming with the life liquid. Cautiously he set it down.

"This is probably one of the most stupid things I've ever done," he grumbled roughly, pouring some of the water into a matching teacup. "Giving water to a water-bender." He shook his head and looked at Aappa. The Bison shifted its eyes off him and back, in almost a permissive nod.

The banished prince approached the brother first, pouring the sought after relief quickly down his throat. The brother was too delirious to notice. The girl though was a whole different matter.

Zuko filled the cup and knelt at her side. The Bison's fur was soft under his fingers and he could feel the steady rise and fall of its breath. He could also feel the beast's eyes burning into him.

Katara stirred and Zuko froze as her eyelids fluttered but remained shut.

"Water…"

With a sigh of resignation Zuko slipped his hand behind her head and tilted the cup to her lips. The reaction was immediately obvious. Unlike the brother she was connected to water deeply and the effects of the drink travelled over her, almost visibly, from the mouth down. Everything relaxed and some colour returned.

Zuko gently laid her back against Aappa's side and prepared to leave. Yet he found himself just sitting there a moment longer…unable to take his eyes off her face. This was the enemy, a water-bender, companion of the Avatar. He reached out and, with a finger, brushed a strand of hair out of her face, skimming over her forehead lightly. She was very pretty. The moment the thought entered his head he shook it viciously. That's what happened when he spent time with the enemy.

"Momo?" Zuko suddenly found himself staring into the half-open eyes of the feverish water-bender.

A frown of confusion appeared sluggishly on her face.

"Zuko…"

The fire prince acted on instinct. In a gesture that his mother had used, when calming him after his sister had once again poured scorn and humiliation onto him, he ghosted his fingers down the side of Katara's face in a soothing caress.

"Shussssh," he breathed, "you're safe…Aang will be back soon…"

The frown eased out and the eyes slid shut.

"Oh…"

She was unconscious as quickly as she had woken. In the next instant Zuko was on his feet and at the exit, retying his mask.

He risked one final glance back at the blissfully unaware sleeping form who would probably not remember.

Not just pretty, he thought to himself before once again thrusting the idea aside.

He had an Avatar to catch.


End file.
